The present invention is directed to a golf ball ejector and, more particularly, to a novelty golf ball ejector for a golf ball cup which will eject the golf ball out of the golf cup in a selected direction in response to the golf ball falling into the cup.
It is, of course, well known in the art that a golf ball can be ejected out of a golf cup for either preventing a golfer from bending to reach the golf ball within the cup or as a prank performed on another golfer. These devices use either spring forces or electrically generated forces to urge the golf ball out of the top opening of the golf cup in response to activation of the device. The difference between an ejector used to prevent the golfer from bending and a novelty ejector is typically associated with the way in which the device is activated. An ejector used to prevent bending is a greater convenience if it is activated when the golfer is in position to retrieve the ball. Conversely, a novelty ejector is not intended for convenience and, therefore, activation is not based on the location of the golfer. In this respect, pranks such as golf ball ejectors can be used to make a golfer believe they missed the shot. However, both types of ejectors require some form of mechanism to urge the golf ball upward out of the top opening of the golf cup.
The devices found in the prior art have many disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that many utilize complicated mechanisms to urge the golf ball from the golf cup. In this respect, some ejectors include devices used to delay activation of the mechanism, including sensors and valves. In many cases, the ejectors utilize electrical energy to produce the force required to urge the golf ball upwardly out of the golf cup and to power the sensors. In view of the place in which these devices are used, batteries must be utilized to produce the required electrical energy. This can be both an inconvenience and can cause damage to the ejector if the batteries leak due to their exposure to the outdoor environment in which these devices are used. Furthermore, even with the complicated mechanisms incorporated in these ejectors, the user cannot choose the direction in which the golf ball will be projected and the mechanisms are not capable of projecting the golf ball more than a few feet from the golf cup. In this respect, the prior art devices use vertical motion which is co-axial with the cylindrical side walls of the golf cup to urge the golf ball upward. This linear motion in the vertical direction is not well suited for producing the horizonal forces required to direct the golf ball away from the golf cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,732 to Peeples discloses a golf ball ejector device which attempts to direct the projection of the golf ball out of the cup. However, the disclosed device still utilizes vertical motion to urge the golf ball out of the golf cup. Accordingly, even though the upper end of the ejector includes an angled surface with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ejector, the amount of sideways force is much smaller than the corresponding vertical forces. Therefore, sideways movement of the ball is minimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,131 to Forbes discloses a golf cup novelty apparatus which utilizes a compression spring to urge an upper portion upwardly relative to a telescopically received base portion. As discussed above, the vertical linear motion of the ""131 device urges the golf ball mainly in the upward direction with minimal sideways motion. As a result, the golf ball remains close to the golf cup after the device has been actuated. In an attempt to produce some sideways motion, Forbes increased the clearance in the telescopic engagement between the upper and base portions so that there is a xe2x80x9csloppy fitxe2x80x9d therebetween. This allows for enough sideways motion to prevent the ball from falling back into the cup. Even though the ""131 device, is intended to be portable, the telescopic design and the compression spring of this device prevents it from being easily compacted for storage. Another disadvantage is that the actuation of the ""131 device is controlled by a rod guided within a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d slot, wherein the ejector is held in a condition merely by the engagement between the rod and the T-portion of the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d slot. The shock of the golf ball against the upper portion is intended to release the rod from the T-portion of the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d slot. so that the upper portion is urged vertically relative to the base portion by the compression spring. This method of actuating the device can be unpredictable and unreliable.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved novelty golf ball ejector is provided for advantageously ejecting a golf ball from a golf cup in a manner which promotes reliable actuation without complicated mechanisms, and effectively projects the golf ball away from the golf cup in a selected direction. Further, the golf ball ejector is easily positionable within the cup and readily compactable for storage within the pocket of a golf bag. In this respect, a novelty golf ball ejector is provided which comprises an ejector plate which pivots relative to a base plate to project the golf ball out of the golf cup with both vertical and horizontal components of force. In one embodiment, actuation of the ejector plate is facilitated by a torsion spring which is connected between the ejector plate and the base plate, and reliability is increased by utilizing sloped surfaces on both the base plate and ejector plate for guiding the golf ball. In another embodiment, a centering member is used to center the golf ball ejector in a golf hole. In one aspect of this embodiment, the centering member is retractable relative to the base plate to allow the golf ball ejector to be easily compacted into a small portable overall configuration for easy storage within the pocket of a golf bag.
It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved novelty golf ball ejector which utilizes a torsion spring to produce the force required to eject a golf ball away from a golf cup.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved golf ball ejector having an ejector plate which pivots relative to a base plate to eject the golf ball from the golf cup.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved golf ball ejector which utilizes sloped surfaces on both the base plate and ejector plate which, in connection with the cylindrical side walls of the golf cup, ensure that the golf ball engages the actuating mechanism.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a centering guide which properly positions the golf ball ejector in a golf hole and facilitates in maintaining the golf ball ejector in the proper position in the golf hole.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable centering guide to allow easy storage of the golf ball ejector within the pocket of a golf bag.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball ejector which is reliable in that it will eject the golf ball out and away from the golf cup each time a golf ball enters the golf cup.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball ejector that allows the user to control the direction of the projected golf ball.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball ejector which produces sufficient amounts of horizontal forces to move the golf ball away from the golf cup.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the embodiment.